The Greatest Christmas
by BatmanSwiss
Summary: Christmas is supposed to be spent with family, and Lucas spends it with his.


Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I wish I did. sigh

This is kinda a follow-up to my Thanksgiving piece We Give Thanks. As before, this is not beta-ed, so please fogive any grammar or spelling mistakes!!

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas!!

The Greatest Christmas

By JediK1

It was Christmas aboard the seaQuest. All across the ship, Christmas music was being played softly, adding to the peaceful, cheery moods of the crew. Even though they hadn't been granted shore leave for the holiday, they were trying to make the most of the situation by enjoying themselves. 

Lucas sat in his quarters, wrapping paper and tape rolls scattered in heaps around him. He didn't mind having to stay on board for Christmas. In fact, he was glad that the seaQuest had been assigned to this supply run. If he had gone home, all he would have had to welcome him was a cold, lonely house. He had received emails from both of his parents, saying that they were sorry, but something important had come up at work. At least here he would have people to celebrate Christmas with, people who cared about him.

Lucas paused a moment, tape in hand. He remembered the last holiday that has passed; Thanksgiving. A smile graced his lips as he thought of the Captain's words at the party in the mess that evening. Bridger had told him, unashamed, in front of the entire crew that he cared for him. Since then the two had been closer than ever. Lucas had learned over the past month how fathers and sons were supposed to act together. Not arguing, fighting, and avoiding each other like he and his father were, but laughing, talking, and just spending time together. Wistfully, he imagined what having Bridger as his real father would have been like. His smile gentled somewhat, and Lucas thought of how lucky Robert must have felt, to have a dad like Bridger…

He shook his head to clear out the somber thoughts, and focused on the task at hand. A box was sitting on his desk, almost lost amidst the piles of wrapping paper. He had spotted this little thing when on his last leave. That's when he had done all of his Christmas shopping. Lucas had wondered around the mall, having bought all of the presents but Bridger's. There had been this little shop that he hadn't noticed the first time through, and something inside had caught his eye. When he entered, the perfect present was right there in front of him. Sure, it had taken all the money left in his wallet, but Lucas hadn't minded. All he could think of was the look that would be on the Captain's face when he opened it. 

Carefully reaching over the box, he grabbed more paper and finished wrapping the gift. When he finished, he labeled the present, and placed it gently in the bag with the rest. Now, it was time to go play Santa, he thought, as he headed toward the mess with bag in tow. 

As he walked into the mess, Lucas' eyes light up in wonder. The entire room was a mass of color and sound. Lights had been strung across the walls and draped from the ceiling. Paper decorations could be seen among the lights, little Santa's, snowmen, and elves with red cheeks and cheerful grins upon their happy faces. In the corner of the mess, a large, artificial, but very realistic tree had been set up and decorated. A few presents even sat underneath it. Lucas stood, mouth open slightly, at the tree. _How on earth did they even get that thing in here?_ he thought.

As he was staring at the tree, Ben sauntered over from across the mess where he had been flirting, unsuccessfully, with two female crewmen. He was decked out in a Santa suit, complete with fake beard and shiny black boots. Ben wore a grin that Lucas swore was the exact same one as on the paper decorations. 

"Hey Lucas! What's the bag for?"

"It's just a few presents I bought for you guys." He slapped Ben's hand away as the moral officer attempted to peek into the bag. "Hands off. Don't worry, if you were a good boy this year, I'm sure there is something in here for you. And even if you weren't, I still got you something. Otherwise, how would you get any presents?" He laughed at the mock-insulted look that Ben had put on. 

Together, the two circulated the room, giving out the presents that Lucas had bought. Lucas had been a little surprised at Commander Ford's reaction when the man had seen his gift. Ford had smiled warmly at him, thanking him with a few words and a hug. Lucas was shocked even further when the Commander presented him with a gift. It had been a new computer game that Lucas had been wanting. After thanking the commander, he left to deliver the rest of his presents.

After that joyful task was completed, Lucas and Ben decided to look for a table to sit down at. When they had found an empty one, they noticed Bridger and Kristin walking in. Lucas waved them over, and the pair made their way toward the teen.

Ben shook his head. "I wonder when those two will realize that they're made for each other."

"I dunno," Lucas answered truthfully. He had always hoped that Bridger and Westphalen would get together some day. It only seemed right. Kristin had become like a mother to him, though he wasn't quite as close to her as he was to Bridger. Still, he cared for her deeply, and held onto the child-like hope that someday his surrogate parents would realize the connection between them and act upon it.

By this time, Bridger and Westphalen had reached them. Bridger had to laugh at the pair. Together, they looked like Santa and one of his elves getting ready to deliver the presents. "So, Lucas, what's in the bag?" 

Placing the sack on the table, Lucas reached in and grabbed a few of the wrapped parcels. "Well, I was waiting for everyone to get here, but I guess I can get started now. Here, these are for you." 

He handed Ben a package that looked to be the same shape as a movie. "Uh, Ben, you might want to open yours later." 

To avoid the suspicious looks he knew Bridger and Kristin were giving him, he reached back into the bag. "Kristin, this one's for you. Don't worry, it's safe to open." He gave her his most charming smile, hoping that she'd open the gift and forget about Ben's.

Kristin accepted the gift, but still shot Lucas one of her patent "We'll talk about this later" looks. Then she carefully peeled off the paper from the small present, revealing a long, velvet case. Her eyes widened as she opened it and gently lifted the glittering necklace to get a closer look. It was a thin gold chain with a heart-shaped locket dangling from the bottom. 

"Oh, Lucas, I…I don't know what to say…it's…beautiful."

"I didn't know what picture to put in the locket, so I left it empty. You can put whatever you want in it."

Instead of saying anything, Kristin reached forward and hugged Lucas. After a moment, she trusted her voice enough to speak. "Oh, my boy, it's perfect. Thank you, Lucas."

As she pulled away, Lucas caught the look on her face. That one look, so full of love, was all he needed as thanks. Shyly, he ducked his head, hiding the blush that he knew must be creeping into his cheeks. "You're welcome."

Next, he reached in and carefully took out the Captain's gift. "Here, sir, I hope you like it."

Bridger accepted the gift, noting how Lucas had handled it with such care. He set the box gently on the table, and began to unwrap it. After finding his way through several layers of wrapping paper, he got to the box. By this time, Ben, Kristin, and Lucas all eyed him anxiously. The teen was practically jumping up and down with anticipation. He slowly began to open the box, grinning at Lucas' impatience. The smile froze on his face, however, when he caught his first glimpse of the gift.

It was a small holo-projector. He picked it up out of the box, and turned the little device on. An image of two dolphins sprung to life. They were swimming through the ocean, flying up toward the surface. He could see the image perfectly, and could hear the water rushing around the dolphins as the made their way through the water. As they broke the surface, a haunting cry could be heard, and the pair leaped in front of the most gorgeous sunset Bridger had ever seen. Another cry faded away as the image ended. 

All he could do was look at Lucas. This must have cost the boy a fortune. And yet here he was, searching the Captain's face for any sign of a reaction to the gift. Lucas didn't even seem to care about the price. That's one of the things that endeared the boy to him so much. Sometimes, Lucas could be so selfless; he didn't care about what he had to do to make others happy. Whatever the price, he was always more than willing to pay it.

"Lucas…" Words seemed to elude him, so he just pulled the teen to him. Bridger's eyes stung as he held the boy, and all he could do was stand there, holding him. He loved Lucas dearly, and never wanted to let the boy go. He had already lost one son in his lifetime, and Bridger swore to himself at that moment that whatever happened, he would not lose Lucas. He didn't just _seem_ like another son; he _was_ another son. 

As he hugged Lucas, he found his voice. "I love you, kiddo. Thank you so much." After an endless moment longer, he released the teen. "I've got something for you, too. It's sitting under the tree. Come on, let's go open it."

Together, they walked over to the huge tree, making their way through the mass of crewmen as they did so. When they arrived, Bridger motioned Lucas to a large, brightly wrapped present. 

Casting a questioning glance from the box to the Captain, Lucas bent to get a closer look the gift. It was high enough to come a little past his knees, and almost as wide as it was tall. Curiosity overcame him, and he knelt on the deck to begin tearing off the paper. 

What he saw made him gasp. Inside the box was a set of top of the line, brand new speakers. For a moment, all Lucas could do was sit there, and then he jumped up and hugged Bridger. It must have cost the Captain a fortune, because this brand of speakers was the most expensive. He had tried to find a pair himself, but they had all been sold out during the big Christmas rush. _How on earth had Bridger gotten a hold of them?_ he wondered. 

"Captain...thank you! They're…wonderful. How did you get them? They're great! I can't believe you did this! Didn't it cost a fortune? You shouldn't have spent so much on me! Thank you!" 

"Calm down, Lucas," Bridger laughed as the teen squeezed harder. "I knew yours were broke, so I figured you could use some new ones. And how did I get them? Well, that's my secret. As for how much it cost, I don't care. The look on your face is worth it, kiddo. Merry Christmas, Lucas."

"Merry Christmas, Captain." Lucas' smile lit his entire face, and his blue eyes shone the brightest hue imaginable.

Bridger had gotten used to seeing the teen look so distant, and he was glad that Lucas could finally act like a kid. From what Lucas had told him of his childhood, the teen hadn't been able to celebrate the holidays like a child should. But Bridger, and all of the boy's friends aboard the seaQuest, were determined to give Lucas the chance to be a normal kid. Well, Bridger thought ruefully, as normal as a 15 year old genius on the world's most high-tech sub could be. 

After Lucas had released Bridger, they went off to enjoy the party. All of the senior crew found them, and the group sat down together to eat the Christmas meal that had been prepared. As they all sat at one table, Lucas glanced at each face. Tim, Miguel, Katie, Ben, Crocker, Kristin, and even Commander Ford were seated around the table, talking happily of Christmas memories. Lucas wondered for a brief moment how he had ever managed to live without these people in his life, and sent a silent prayer of thanks heavenward for the incredible blessing he had received. For once, he was spending Christmas as it should be spent; in a warm, crowed room with the people you cared about. Lucas realized that he had received another gift that day, the greatest gift of all; love. It was indeed the greatest Christmas ever.


End file.
